Many people think bats looks like flying mice, but they are really more closely related to primates such as lemurs, monkeys -- and humans.

The Facts: Scientists now think bat and primates are descended from the same shrew-like ancestor.  Linneaus, the father of modern taxonomy, which is the classification of living things, originally categorized bats as primates. Since then, however, bats have been given their own special order: chiroptera, meaning “hand-winged.”  There is still some discussion going on.  Scientists are pondering the significance of the brain organization of megachiroptera (flying foxes), which is very similar to the brain organization of primates. For more information, visit these websites:

www.batcon.org Click on “All About Bats,” then on “Natural History of Bats”

www.fws.gov/endangered/bats/miscon.htm  Visit other parts of this site for fascinating bat information.

Classification of the Hawaiian bat:

    Kingdom: Animalia (animals)

    Phylum: Chordata (having backbones)

    Class: Mammalia (mammals)

    Order; Chiroptera  [keer OP ter ah] (hand-winged)

    Suborder: Microchiroptera (little hand-winged)

    Family: Vestertillionidae [ves per till OHN ih dee] (evening bats)

    Genus: Lasiurus [la see UR us] (hairy-tailed)

    Species: cinereus [sin EAR ee us] (ash-colored)

    Sub-Species: semotus [seem OH tus] (isloated)

Why is classification in Latin?

Latin is a dead language, meaning it is no longer spoken as a native language anywhere in the world.  Since it is not spoken, Latin words or language structure will never change. Languages that are commonly spoken in daily life change to keep pace with the times. For instance, English dictionaries now include words like “email” and “Internet” which were unknown just a few years ago. Languages also change to include foreign words which are commonly used, such as “taco” and “sushi.”  In Hawaii, many people interweave Hawaiian words and phrases into their everyday speech, such as “mahalo” (thank you) or “a hui hou” (see you later).